Hi all,

The stock OEM battery on my 2003 TL-S just went out... I drive about 3,000 miles a year, and currently have about 19,000 miles on the clock... Obviously, my demands are not that great... So I don't want to over buy (if there is such a thing) on my battery replacement...

I do not have any aftermarket audio system in my car...

Given all that, what is the recommendation for a battery replacement? My shop is a big fan of Interstate batteries, which will run me about $100.00...

Opinions? Recommendations?

Thanks!

 

If your car is sitting for long intervals between being driven, a maintenance charger like a BatteryTender might be a good idea.

 

i like optima batteries. Great batteries and not a bad price on them. but only driving 3,000 miles a year it will not really matter. go with Optima yellow or red top.

 

Yea, while it is a low mileage car, I don't have the car sitting weeks on end... I drive the car every couple of days... But I do have a battery tender that I used to use on my motorcycle that isn't doing anything now... I could use it for that...

But I guess it's too little too late at this point... I need to get a new battery first

What is the general cost of the Optimas? And why would I make the decision to go red versus yellow?

 

Assuming your car sits for weeks at a time, either get a regular battery from parts store-
or the Interstate, which I have used myself and sold to customers in the past
AND buy a $10-15 dollar battery maintainer/tender as suggested above.
Plugs into 110v wall outlet and clips to battery terminals.
It will come on with low amps, and gently charge the battery to full - then shuts off and waits for the battery to naturally discharge itself slightly- just from sitting
Then it tops off the charge again, so its always in perfect ready state for you.

The other option is a battery designated Marine/RV
Those are made to hold a charge for a long time in storage, and have plenty of power to start the engine, or you can run them for hours with the radio and tv on in the car, and they charge right back up to full.

You can stay under 100 with any of those options and get a decent battery.
Longer warranty units may sound good until you get to the pro-rated replacement part and pay a large portion of the replacement cost.
I get batteries at zone and they work fine too.

 

If your car sits outside with sun exposure--- in my truck I use a small solar panel trickle charger, same idea as above- but self powered!
It sits on the dash or seat and quietly does its thing

 

We had this issue on a 94 Honda Accord where the alarm drained the battery. Always needed a jump. We used a trickle charger but it was a pain.

 

optima- one of them is the Marine RV battery favored by those who sit for hours inside the car watching videos or whatever!~

Since you are driving it every week - there should be no problem with any basic battery- the old one wont hold a charge is your main problem
get the 3 year- thats all they really last anyway. If you still have the TL in 3-4 years, you know what to do again!

If you only drive 5 minutes and thats end of trip- get on the freeway once a week and go 30 minutes to dry the moisture from the engine oil and the exhaust system
Everyone has seen water drops from exhaust pipes right? you need real heat- not just temp guage says its at operating temp- to remove moisture
Exhaust are expensive to replace when rusted from inside

and of course SEAFOAM that thing!!!

 

alarms do not drain your battery

 

Alright kiddo, you know better, I bet you were there too...

 

OK... So if I decide to go Optima, this is what I got from their website... There was no entry for a 2003 TL, so I could only choose/select the 2003 CL...

Is this the right one:

 

if you go optima id get a red top the yellow is overkill for your application and more money

 

sooo if you have a car starter that kills the battery what top should you get yellow?? or red?

 

Here is the pricing I found:

- Interstate - $100
- Bosche - $84.99
- Energizer - $74.99
- Optima - $169.99

Honestly, now that I see the prices, and given my usage, I am thinking about going with Bosche or Interstate... Optima is twice the price...

 

Optima is NOT good for low use...trust me. I just replaced a yellow that was only a year and a half old. Low use....in the winter it crapped out.

 

touchy touchy, just letting you and others know that they will not "drain" your battery.

 

unless installed wrong, security units and r/s will not drain your battery.

 

My suggestions get a wal-mart battery. It would probably be a good idea to get a trickle charger too but my dad barely drives ever maybe like once a week and the battery I got him is still going after a year in this hot vegas sun. The wal-mart onces are just as good as the ones you get at other auto parts stores and usually cheaper. They usually have a 2 year warranty as well I think.

 

i would go with the original battery from dealer. it has 100 months warranty.

 

One problem with buying from dealerships is that they don't open 7 days a week like the local auto stores. So if you have a dead battery on a Sat evening, you have no choice but to wait till Mon morning to book an appointment in order to get the dealership pro-rated warranty claim.

 

Autozone, Duralast Gold $93 with 8 year warranty. 3 year free replacement, 3 year free jumpstart. It even came with the terminal protectors.

 

OK... I am done... Thanks for all the help... I decided to go the low cost route...

CostCo, $57.99 with 100 month warranty and 36 month replacement.

 

alarms do use electricity from the battery when car is parked-- what do you think the red lights run on?
your charm and good looks?

 

Nice deal. Must be a good battery if they offer 3yr free replacement on it.

 

I thought the same thing when I read that.....but didnt really want to argue with the kid. Simple logic should tell you that. What caused my battery to die in the driveway? Uh....constant draw from alarm, ect with no starting for recharge.

 

sooooo. how many peoples car has died from your clock on your dash, or the memory in your radio, or any other electrical device in your car, maybe the led in the door will do it?. your talking mA current draw.

you would have to let it sit for a looooooong time to even put a notch in the battery.

i just wanted to say that that little led that blinks on your dash will not drain your battery in the amount of time that you wouldn't be able to start your car.

it has always been a confusing topic with people. esp when people bring shit to my bay saying that their alarm drained their battery and they had to get a jump start.

think what you want..... i respect your opinions, but i also ask for respect as in mine and calling me kid shows none. bash if it makes you feel better.

 

Saying that an alarm or anything else electical that draws a constant current, no matter how minor, is not a draw on the battery is a complete false statement though. That is what we are saying. And yes...I had a battery...a Optima Yellow Top...it was like 18 months old....sat in driveway over winter for four months with the draw from the alarm and any memory or whatever the Navi and Radio system use and it did pretty much end up killing the battery. IMO....the issue was the battery. What I learned fairly quickly is that...in our area....Optima batteries kind of suck balls and need to be replaced at 18-24 months as they go out. I guess the weather is overly hard on them if you use them in seasonal cars.

So far as respect...I dont see "kid" as a derrogatory term son. I have washclothes older than you sitting in my closet! So you are a kid to me unfortunately...as much as I would like it not to be so! So I think you are parsing my words a bit....

As far as a draw on the battery....Navi TL's are kind of known for eating batteries if you didnt know.

 

Hey,

It was an aftermarket alarm, I forget which unit, since 94 Accords didn't come available with Honda alarms.

Dealer later informed us that it was known to be a little power hungry. Really, it's of the early days of car alarms, they've gotten a lot better. Car was driven once every 4-6 weeks.

From your statement about power use:
a. you clearly don't know what you're talking about
b. you don't know any of the details that came from my comment
c. a-b combined just make you argumentative.
d. you weren't there

Peace
Rob

 

parasitic drain in inevitable, in any cars electrical systems. your car pulls 5 to 6 times what any after market alarm pulls ( if installed properly, and if not can pull little more ex. door locks, door triggers, leaving computers and such on), this still would take a huge amount of time for your battery to lose its charge enough to not allow you to start your vehicle and the alternator take over. so in technical terms yes an alarm can pull current, but it is 99% of the time not to blame for a dead battery.

im not going to continue to waste my time trying to explain this to you. i havnet been doing this for years i guess and i just have no clue as to what im doing, you got me there. certifications on the wall prove that buddy. i love what i do and enjoy helping others in the meantime until fucks like you come along.

i will be the bigger person here and stop this stupid argument,now that you older gentlemen have stepped down to an age that is a quarter of yours. good luck with your battery problem (the one you know so much about) and dont forget to take your heart medication, don't want you getting upset at your computer screen and something bad happening.


they should have a disclaimer with your keyboards and mouses..... CAUTION- known to grown weak little men huge balls. i feel sorry for you people. and i pray in a couple of centuries when im your age im not as ignorant as you. have a good day now

 

I doubt it has any thing to do with your area as we see harsher winters and similar summers. Red tops are just better for every day use from my experience. Most times when ive seen yellows installed it was as a 2nd battery for high power systems or for winches on offroad trucks.
My reds are all still working. One of which is over 10years old, one is 6 and one 2.

 

If you were the bigger man you would not have needed to say so, used the f word or called me out for being tough on you for your comments regarding a situation 14 years ago, when you weren't present.

Go wash your mouth out with soap and think about what you've done...

 

FYI - I say kiddo to everyone, even people older then me.

So chill.

 

You entertain me. Ease up young padwan! Your discourse is amusing though. I think if you actually read I never actually disagreed with anything you said other than that alarms, ect dont have a draw on the battery as a blanket statement. When you get as old as me though...possibly you will read what is actually stated in responses rather than to impart your own thoughts therein. And fact is...Navi TL's have a tendancy to eat OEM batteries...they do....but frankly...thats something you never stated or mentioned....but something I was adding.

Either way son...take a chill pill, drink a beer and relax! Its all good here!

BTW....its heartburn pills here or Tums...get it right! No other medicines applicable here...lol.

 

now i feel bad...... sorry guys.....its been hell of a week.... just wrecked my baby earlier this week by hydroplaning into a guardrail, been a little short fused. all good here also.